Agitating cooker and processer.



.f865,645. PATENTED SEPT, l0, 196,7. LT. JENNINGS. AGTATING GOKER ANB PROGESSER..

ABPLIGATIQN FILED DBU, 26. 190e. 2 sHBETswsHE-"ET 2N @rfv/5.

VEN .TENNNG OFROCEELLE, lLLlNOlS li-SIGOR OF TWOTHlRDS TO, GEORGE E.

STOCKNG AND PETER HOHpENADEL, JR., OF ROCHELLE, ILLINOIS.

AGTATNG COGKER AND PROCSSER.

nu. ossessiapplicano. ined-December 26,1506. serial No. 349.415..

Specification ofietters Patent.

, Patented sept. 1o, 1907.

' Be it lmotnthat, .loHN. JEiimNGS, acitiaen of the nited Stajtea'residing at Rochelle, in the county of Ogle and Stateku`.illinois,l have invented certain new and nseful'f'mprqveinents Agitating Cookers and.

.iocessersfdf whiclrthiollowing isa specication.

This invention relatesto an agitating cooker for sterilizing canned; goods; 'and the object of the invention is to propicie afmachirie emhodyinga s terilizing chamber thaty is capahleoi recei 'ing and sterilizing a large nurnci cansgtherehy giving the machine a large working `capacitygthis being -oi Vutmost importance, since considerable time is necessary, and is consumed, toproperlyheat the produce Within' .the cansand bring it to the desired temperature. to effect the sterilization necto destroy future bacterial development and .frame Twhich fornisthe 'main body of the machine.

chemical action that follows. f

' A further object to provide'a machine of this character having a conveying device for moving the canned 'gdods Jfrom the introducing valve to the discharging valve, 'and having such'dimension as .to permit sufficient travel for the cans to insure perfect. sterilization of the-canned product before being discharged from the` machine.

`A further object is'to provide a machine of the above character having a sterilizing chamber which, provided at intervals with communicating pipes which permit jets of steam tobe injected therein; these jets being directed so as to play upon the cans While they pass through said chamber.

lvaccomplish the several objects 'oi lmy invention Aby the mechanism iilustrated inthe accompanying drawings, in'v/hich I -Figure 1 is a fragmentary detail'view of the feed end I oi a cooker, l showing a portion thereof in'plan and a portion in section,4 in order to expose the cans'and show the position they occupy vvhile passing through the sterilizing chamber. Fig. 2 is a-central vertical sectional view of the cooker in which the central portion thereof is broken away. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detail vievvl in side elevation oi the feed end of the cooker, showing the chain or' pinions through vwhich the movable parts are driven. Fig. 4 is la fragmentary detail view, on an enlarged scale, showing theSnleans for supporting the'I conveyor-chains. Fig. 5 a4 fragmentary' detail view in perspective showing the construction ofthe conveyor chains. Fig: is fragmentary detail perspective view of the device for both introducing-and removing the' cans from the machine.` I

ln .the drawings, l is a rectangularly shaped bei; or

This fname is preferably composed of sheet Steel, and iormsaninclosure or chamber' iii-Which the canned productie sterilized. This frame is pro vloed with slut.- able legs 2 for supporting same,

A shaft 4 is mounted in cach: en'd'of the framel, and

extends transversely through the sterilizing chamber.

Each of these shafts carry a plurality of sprocket-wheels 5, which are keyed thereto and revolve therewith. A sprocket-chain 7 connects a sprocket-Wheel 5 on each of the shafts 4, so that when one shaft is operated movement will be imparted to the other. The links forming the lsprocket-'chains T are oi a length equaling the d-iameter ot' the cans, and the links comprising the oppositely positioned chains are divided in groups of pairs nels formed by said `angle-plates 10, so that the cans are prevented lfrom crawling over one another, vWhich would interfere with' the operation of the machine. The plates l0 extend transversely and nearly the entire Width of the sterilizing chamber, so that each channel is of some Alength and is capable of carrying a large number of cans to be simultaneously sterilized which, in a measure, illustrates the large working capacity of the machine.

To keep the upper portion of theconveyer-chains in alinement when heavily ladened with canned goods, I support said conveyer at eachlink. l'hese links are provided. vwith the anti-friction rollers 12, which engage the channeled Ways 15,v Seellig. 4L These Ways are supported hy the stay-rods 16, and extend to and env gage the frame 1.

To maintain a proper tension on the conveyer-chain 7 and take up such lost motion as may resultv vfrom Wear,

l mount 'the shaft 4, in one end of the machine, in a movable journal-boX-'17, and by means of a screwshaft 1 8, which engages said box and the frame` l,v and a hand-Wheel 19 on said shaft, `the journal-loon? may v be moved in a direction to tighten the chains. Both ends of the shaft 4 are similarly mounted so that both ends may correspondingly be moved to keep the shaft rin propcralinement. To compensate for'the adjustahility of the shaft 4, the endvfall 23 of the sterilizing chamber is secured to and moves with the journal-v boxes 17, .so as to keep the relative positions of the lsprocket-Wheels 5 and the end-wall 23 the same.

. The frame 1, forming the sterilizing chamber, is provided on its vupper and lower surface With lan inlet and an outlet aperture 20, -tluough which the cans pass into and' out o'f the machine. These apertures are s o located Withlreiauon to Aeach other as to afford the cans the greatest amount. of'travel through the' chamber, and thereby insure that the cannedv product willI be thoroughly sterilized before/it is vdischarged from the machine.v The canned productie preferably sterilized by subjecting the cans to'jets of live steam .which play upon the cans while they Iare passing through the chamber. The steam is fed into the charnber through numerous pipes 24, vwhich are located at. convenient points along'the side-Wall of the sterilizing chamber.

In order 'to Asterilize a` large number or cans -Ywith regularity and despatch, and vto 'reduce 'as much as` .possible the necessity for manual labor, I provide a 'ndevice at the inlet and outletfapertures of the steril# izing chamber which will introduce and remove cansv into and out'of the machine, .This device consists of a cylindrically shaped drum25, which is suitably supported in 'a segmentally formed troughy26. .This trough isl secured to the frame lin any desired manner, and is provided with anaper'ture 27 in its bottom.

Awhich corresponds to and registers with the inlet and 'outlet apertures 'in the sterilizing chamber.

The dru'm is provided with longitudinally extending'can-holding channels 28Ainto which thel cans are placed, 'andv as the drum is operated the cansiare either carried to and 'fed through the inlet aperture of the chamber or lreceive the cansfrom the outlet aperture 'and Acarry them away. 3o

The drum 25is'provided Wilth a yshaft 30 which carries a pinion Bland through which it is operated. -Tliis-pinioumeslies with a chain or' pinions, one oi which constitutesanidler pinion 32 ivhich meshes with a pinion 33, secured tol the'endof the shaft 4 which drives the'conveyor-chains 7. The idler pinion 3.2 also meshes with/the .pinion 33 which is secured; to the shaft that drives the discharge device, which removes the cans from the-sterilizing chamber. 'This' chain of pinions, namely, 3l,I 32,' 33 and 34, together with the mechanism they drive which include the feed and discharge devic es, and the conveyor-chains,

are given an intermittent movement' received throiigh the mutilatedpinion 38, which is mounted on the shaft 39. vThis shaft also vcarries'thepulley 40,'.and 'l by means of the belt 4l which leads to a'suitable power-l source, the mutilated pinionBS is given a slowconr. tinuous movement, and through its periodical engage-v ment with the idler pinion 32, the movable parts arel given anl intermittent movement', as above pointed out. Each movement' so imparted tothe feedand 'discharge dees is sufiicient to. give each device enough rotary movement tobring one of the longitudinally extending can-receiving channels 28 therein into registration with the inlet .and outlet apertures 'so that a series of canswill simultaneously be 'intro'- duced into and removed out ofthe sterilizing cham-,

ber. The'mo'vement'betiveen'the fecdand discharge devices and the conveyer is so timed that While the dvices are introducing and removing thecans theconveyor will have moved, forward a sufiicient distancel to bring'a channelon the conveyer, formed by'v Athc vertical extensions of the'right-angle platesl, .beneath and above the inlet and outlet apertures 20 seams in the chamber. The cylmuricai drums 25 andthe;

troughs 26 not only introduce and removethec'nsiGr from the machine, but'they also formfvalves Ifor cloaing' the inlet and outlet apertures 20f'so thatthe steer-1i,f2.'l -which is employedv for s'teriliz'ing the, canned product and iis-under pressure lwithin the chamber, cannot escape.

' ,Attentionl is-czrlled-to,l the vfact 'that bysubs'tituting a full 'toothed gear. in the placel ofthe 'mutilated pinion 38, the' feed and discharge devices --and the conveyer could 'be givenv a continuous movement instead of aninterinittent movement, as ha'sgbeen -,poi1it,edv

out in another part ofl the specification, -but 'I prefer :an intermittent movement especially for the conveyor,

. water 'cooker for cooking tomatoes which are-genen' ally cooked 'under a hotwater method.' When the machine is 'soemployed the to'p is removed from the sterilizing chamber, lwhich l new becomes 5 nothing more or less than an open tank. ,The tank isy then i filled with Wateruntilthe cans are submerged. The

water is v-kept at a boiling ,poiutwhile the canned produc'tis drawn through it by means of the conveyor' in themanner h laretofore described.

what lidesire to secure by Letters Patent/ofthe United States, is-

1t Avn iigitnting` cooker for-'canned goodsv .eomprising'a iso hollow steam tighehody having oneo-its ends mo'vably .mounted and. curved outward, and 'provided with inlet and outletf openings, a -shaft cari-ying :sprocket wheelsextending transversely through said' body heur each'.end,

means for'movably mou'nting 4the' shaft-'adjacent to the -ioo curved end 'of the body, and means- Afor simultaneously:

moving the'movably mountedshaft'andthefcurved end of the body, to` maintai'n a .uniform distance between said sliatt and end.

2. An -agita'ting lcooker' for cannedlgoods' comprising n hollow 'steanrtight body hayingone of its endsinovahIy mounted and` curved' outward-Q and. provided with inlet und outlet openings, a shaftl carrying Sprocket f wheels"extend"A ing transversely-through lsaid body near esclrf'andy cpnveye'r chainsmovably mounted within i'said`b0dy and ingl the conveyer chains Atogether', andmeans for simultaneously movngthe movably mounted shaft andthe curved 'adapted to engage the 'sprocket '.wheels, .plates forsecurf body end, to maintain a uniform distance between' saidv l shaft andend.v

\ 3. An' a,f:,'itatingy cooker 'for canned goods .comprising a vhollow steam body'having one of its Aends movably mounted andcurved outward, andJprovidedwith inlet and 'outletA openings, .a shaftl carryingjsprocket wheels extending transversely throu'gh said body near each.v end, conveyor.'- chains movobly mounted within saidbodyand 4adapted' toA engage. the sprocket lwh'eels; righi-ang'le'ibent channelform ing plates secured to theconveye'r'hhains 'and soarranged thatihe vertically extending portions of plateslwlll 'beziragainst the inner Wallsot thbody, 35nd means forA simultaneously moving the movlbl'ymountdishaft and curved body end, to' maintain a uniform distance between said shafband end.

4. A n agitating 'cooker for thinned 1goods comprising ul Y and outlet opeuingsQa rotary feed and discharge device -pr0vide`d'with Dockets Vmounted above the inlet 'and below the u'tlet openings respectively 'of said body,a `shaft 'carrying sprocket wheels extending trnsverseiy throughmounted shaft andthe curved body end, -to maintain a uniform 'distance between said shaft and 'end'.

munted and curved outward, and provided with .inlet I l -V In witness whereof,V I, have hereunto set my? hand and .l

.Seal at Indianapoiis, Indiana, this, 17th day of December,

A. D. o ne thousand nine hundred and six..

skid -near eachend,conveyer'chains moYahly mounted i' JOHN JENNINGS n" s'] within said body xladapted to engagethe sprocket Witnesses:

. wheels, piates fr uring the sprokettand toL F. W. WOI:liNnn,

1 0 .gethen andmeansV for simultaneously moving thelovablil t B. WormNEn. 

